


True as True Can Be

by silver_drip



Series: Civil War Unconnected Stories [25]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Comic Book Science, Multiverse, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 09:52:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11461122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_drip/pseuds/silver_drip
Summary: The solution to Bucky's Winter Soldier triggers is solved. The results aren't quite what Steve expected.





	True as True Can Be

 Steve and the Secret Avengers were having a peaceful meal in the Wakandian palace when T’Challa walked in.

“We have a solution,” T’Challa said without preamble. “We have found a universe in which James Barnes did not become the Winter Soldier,” Steve perked up, “but died in WWII.” Steve let out a breath, not knowing how to interpret this. “Like yours, his body was preserved in ice. We are not capable of bringing him back to life, but with Wakanda’s technology we can copy his neural pathways and overwrite the Winter Soldier’s memories.

“Do you think… Do you think that could actually work?” Steve asked, hope clear in his voice.

“We have spent the last two months experimenting with it. We targeted pets who had owners in an alternate reality and copied their neural pathways to the stray versions of them. When introduced to the people who would have been their owners they react as if they know them. Later tests done on chimpanzees were done in which alternate reality ones who knew sign language had their minds imprinted on their untrained counterparts. The counterparts knew sign language in an instant.”

Steve was about to give the go ahead when Wanda spoke up.

“Have you done human experiments?” There was something unreadable in her tone. It took a moment for Steve to remember that she had submitted herself to human experimentation with Hydra.

“Sergeant Barnes would be the first, but hopefully not the last. This line of experimentation can lead to completely erasing traumatic experiences if done in a timely manner.” T’Challa was grinning and Steve was too.

“I don’t like it,” Clint said while pushing his plate away from him. Steve glared at him. “Traumatic experiences might be shitty, but they’re a part of us. You can’t just ‘erase’ them without erasing a part of that person.”

“I think it’s a cool idea,” Scott said, adding nothing to the conversation.

“I’m with Clint on this one,” Sam said while crossing his arms over his chest. “Trauma should be worked through, not erased.” Sam let a slow breath of air. “This new tech could also be abused and used for gaslighting. Someone can be told the process was done on them because someone they trusted had hurt them even though they didn’t. Or someone could force another person to use it so they don’t remember what was done to them. It could be used almost like a roofie.”

“You all are over reacting,” Steve said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “I’m sure T’Challa will keep this technology from being abused. After all, the safest hands are our own.”

“That’s not how technology works.” Sam sounded exasperated. “Once people know something can be done they strive to make their own versions that are bigger and better. The US thought they would be the only ones to develop the atomic bomb for at least a decade, but Russia proved them wrong.”

“Stark would probably steal the technology and mass produce it,” Wanda said, venom in her voice. Clint grunted in agreement.

Steve chose to ignore them.

“None of that matters. This is Bucky’s choice.”

Steve took their silence as agreement.

*

As Steve predicted, after a bit of cajoling by him Bucky had reluctantly agreed.

Bucky was laying it what looked almost like a MRI machine. He was in a hospital gown and was sedated.  

Steve was pacing nervously as technicians and doctors ignored him.

T’Challa was standing near Bucky, a paragon of calmness.

His calm demeanor both irritated and reassured Steve. He wanted someone to have the same worried anticipatience that he did. How could they not understand how important this was?

Bucky was the last link Steve had to a simpler time. He was Steve’s best friend and the only person Steve trusted unconditionally. They had each other’s backs. That sort of loyalty seemed to be a rare commodity in the modern age.

Steve shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to think about Tony’s betrayal.

Bucky was more important than that.

“Please put these in,” a technician said while handing Steve a pair of earplugs. He did so mechanically, his eyes never leaving what little he could see of Bucky.

A humming progressively got louder as the procedure went underway.

The sound of electric currents erased Bucky’s memories was nearly deafening. Steve wanted to reach out as he saw Bucky’s legs spasm.

The humming abruptly stopped.

Steve quickly looked over at the doctors, fearing something had gone wrong. They all looked calm though.

He let out a sigh, hating that he couldn’t understand the mumbo jumbo they were saying.

A few minutes later Bucky was pulled out of the machine and put onto a gurney for him to recover.

Steve pulled up a seat, barely able to hide his excitement at finally getting his pal back.

It only took fifteen minutes for Bucky’s super soldier serum to overcome the sedatives.

Bucky’s eyes fluttered open and Steve could already tell the heavy weight had been lifted from Bucky’s shoulders.

“Hey, punk,” Steve said while smiling.

Bucky’s blue eyes met Steve’s before widening. Bucky abruptly sat up before noticing his missing arm.

“Oh, applesauce! That boobytrap really did take off my arm. That mission really did go belly-up, didn’t it, Cap?”

Steve froze in his seat.

Applesauce? It had been a common expletive back in his day, but Bucky had always preferred to use the heavier hitting curses.

And Bucky only called him Cap sarcastically.

“Uhm, yeah.” He wasn’t sure what to say. Bucky smiled, his nose scrunching up.

“What’s with that gobbledygook outfit you’re wearing?” Bucky’s eyes flitted around. “Is this another one of Mr. Stark’s places. It sure is fancy enough!”

Steve cringed at the mention of Howard. Bucky didn’t need to know his fate though. Some things were better left forgotten.

“Buck, what is the last thing you remember?”

Bucky rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, looking like a teenager again.

“I had a bit of bad luck. My sleeve got caught on a drone. Then it exploded. I guess it got my arm.” Bucky patted the spot where his flesh met machinery. “It doesn’t hurt at all. More of Mr. Stark’s tech, I’m guessing.”

A drone? Steve and the Commandos had never run into any drones in WWII.

“Gee-willikers, Cap. You look like someone ate your toast.” Bucky was giving him a half-amused, half-concerned look.

“Till the end of the line. You know what that means, right?” Steve asked desperately. Bucky’s face screwed up in confusion.

“You know I was never good at the coded phrases, Cap. I left that to the other Kid Commandos.”

“Kid Commandos?” Steve shook his head. That was ridiculous. And how could Bucky forget something so important.

“Me, Gwenny, Toro, and Davy. We were the sidekicks of the Commandos.” Bucky gave him a goofy look. “You must have taken a real hit to the head, Cap. Maybe you should be the one in the hospital duds.”

“What about Brooklyn? What about us meeting in kindergarten when I had an asthma attack? What about all the times you stood up for me?”

“You know I’ve never been to Brooklyn. We met in Camp Leigh while I was a ward of the state, remember? Are you and the Commandos fooling with me again?”

Steve abruptly stood up. He spotted T’Challa and stomped over to him.

“Turn him back! I don’t know who this is, but he’s not my Bucky!” Steve shouted and two Dora Milaje stepped to T’Challa’s side.

T’Challa gave his bodyguards a placating hand wave.

“Doing such would not be so simple. His pathways need time to heal before we could try again and we would have to get his consent,” T’Challa explained calmly.

“You already have Bucky’s consent, the _real_ Bucky’s consent! And Bucky has the serum! His brain will be strong enough to do another memory wipe!” Steve was getting desperate. What had they done to his best friend?

“Cap, what are you going on about? It’s me, your loyal sidekick Bucky!”

“Shut up!” Steve shouted at the imposter, before turning back to T’Challa. He reached out to grab him by the shirt, but a Dora Milaje intercepted him. She twisted his arm around and brought him to his knees.

“Hey, let go of him!” Bucky shouted while getting off the gurney. He tried to run over to them, but the other Dora Milaje blocked his way.

“Captain Rogers, you may not consider this Bucky as needing to give his consent, but he is his own man. He has a lifetime of memories. Just because they don’t align with what you remember does not invalidate his existence. To change him back would be to kill this version of him,” T’Challa’s voice was painfully calm, inciting Steve’s fury.

“You killed the real Bucky! You killed him and put this imposter in his place!” Steve fought against the Dora Milaje, but another joined her, holding him in place. “You murderer! I’ll kill you! Give me my Bucky back.”

T’Challa shook his head, looking disappointed.

“Confine him to a cell until he finds his better senses again,” T’Challa ordered.

“Murderer!” Steve screamed as he was hauled away.

**Author's Note:**

> This was partially inspired by the Bucky in AVAC.


End file.
